Assessment of needs officers, which will now have the power to decide if a child does or does not have a disability, will not necessarily have any clinical training. Photograph: Getty ImagesDesk-based HSE administrators, who potentially have no clinical experience, will now have greater powers to decide if children seeking health and educational services are disabled. Concerns were raised at an Oireachtas committee on disability matters about the lack of clinical qualifications for assessment of needs officers. Late last year, the Government announced it was introducing sweeping reforms to try to cut long waits for assessments of need. A survey by the National Clinical Programme for People with Disability (NCPPD) of 22 assessment officers found that 59 per cent had a clinical background, with 36 per cent saying their background was in nursing.

Source: The Irish Times March 19, 2026 14:50 UTC